Cementitious structural unit



Feb. 17, 1942. w. E. s. STRONG CEMENTITIOUS STRUCTURAL UNIT Filed Oct. 51, 1939 INVENTOR l Prasad Feb. A11, 1941.

l CEMENTITIOUS STRUCTURAL UNI William E. S. Strong, New York, N. Y., assignor to John B. Pierce Foundation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 31, 1939, Serial No. 302,085.

(Cl. 'l2-36) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to structural units and to assemblies thereof in building construction.

The invention constitutes an improvement over the structural unit disclosed and claimed in my- United States Patent No. 2,096,265, granted October 19, 1937.

Both the patented invention aforementioned `and the one here disclosed are directed particularly to a structural unit of substantially slab formation especially adapted for convenient and secure joinder to like units in the erection of structure, such as the walls, roof, or floor of a building. 'I'he structural unit advantageously embodies a mass of insulating material within the body thereof.

In the patented construction aforementioned, the structural unit is disclosed, in a specific form, as composite. One portion is formed as a rectangular concrete shell for receiving insulating material, and the other portion as a cover for confining the insulating material within the shell. The thus provided concrete structural unit is of slab formation having two broad faces separated by an appropriate thickness which provides a measure of the insulating value of the unit.

Around the outer margins of the peripheral walls which define the recess in the shell for receiving insulating materials, are spaced marginal indentations of such size as will aord adequate opportunity for manipulating securing means, such as bolts and nuts, within the pocket recesses formed when the marginal indentations of respective juxtaposed units register. A reinforcing framework, incorporated in the concrete shell, traverses the lateral openings of the marginal indentations forming pockets, so that bolts In this manner there is provided a structural unit which can be readily united at each of its corners with corners of other structural units, or with suitable other structure, the securement of each group of contiguous corners being achieved within the confines of a single passage defined by the clipped corners of the shell portions of the structural units.

By this simplified manner of securement, greater tightness of joint is had, and stresses are more evenly distributed.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents' an elevation of that broad face of one embodiment of structural unit pursuant to the invention which is adapted to provide the inside face of a wall or similar structure built up from a plurality of the structural units;

Fig. 2 represents an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, illustrating only the concrete shell and reinforcing framework; Fig. 3 is a veiw similar to that of Fig. 2 but illustrating the complete structural unit;

. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged fragmentary view of mutually secured four contiguous corners ofl respective structural units, similar to those of Fig. 1, as assembled in a wall or other structural portion of building construction; and

Fig. 5 represents an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 5 5, Fig. 4.

As is the case in the prior patent, the structural unit is specifically illustrated as rectangular in configuration. While it is practical and convenient to employ rectangular building units and nuts or other suitable joinder means may be l employed, in conjunction with the framework, to secure juxtaposed units tightly to one another. The present* construction is similar in its essentials to the above described prior construc-. tion, but constitutes an improvement thereover in that a greater facility and ease of securement of assembled structural units, as Well as economies inthe manufacture of the units, -are afforded.y

In the prior` construction, marginal indentations are interposed along the lengths of the peripheralvwalls of the shell, between the corners of the shell. In the present construction the corners of the shell are, vin effect, partially clipped off diagonally so that the reinforcing frame provides thereat pockets which correspond to the marginal indentations of the prior construction.

for construction purposes, it is realized that other polygonal configurations may also be employed without sacrificing essential structural features of the invention.

YThe composite structural unit illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a recessed body shell I0 molded into final form from a plastic cementitious mixture; an angle-iron reinforcing framework Il; vermiculite insulating material l2; and a cover plate I3 molded from plastic cementitious material.

It is contemplated that concrete or other cementitious mixture will be the material usually employed in the forming of the recessed shell and cover plate of the unit, and that structural steel shapes, especially angle-irons, will be employed for the. reinforcing framework, but it is within the scope of the invention to form the -recessed shell and cover plate of any materials to form the reinforcing framework oi.' any rigid material found suitable for 'the purpose. The insulating material may be vermiculite, loose or compacted, or may be any other insulating material found suitable for the purpose.

The recessed body shell I has a portion IIia of substantially slab formation in which may be incorporated reinforcing wire mesh I4 or the like. The outer face of the 'slab portion Illa may be provided with any desired contour, as for instance the contour indicated Illa-I designed to give a clapboard effect. Along the peripheral margin of the slab portion Illa, walls IIIb project outwardly, preferably at right angles to the slab portion, and extend in substantially unbroken continuity. It should be noted, however, that x ing peripheral walls IIib and wall portions IIlb-I ily is disposed the reinforcing framework I I. The framework has the same length and width as the recessed body shell, and, as illustrated, is advantageously formed from angle-irons. The angle-irons are associated so that a set of similar legs I I a lie in a common plane directed inwardly of the framework, and so that the remaining set of similar legs extend in a common direction at substantially right angles from such plane.

The framework Il is advantageously incorporated with the recessed body shell I0 during the molding thereof in such manner that the set of legs I Ia, which lie in a common plane, serve to reinforce the peripheral margins of the slab portion Illa, and the other set of legs IIb serve to reinforce the lateral peripheral walls Ilib of the shell.

The legs IIb of the framework thus tend to complete the corners cut short by the wall portions IDb-I, see especially Fig. 1, and provide marginal pockets I5 at the corners of the recessed body shell. As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, these legs I Ib may be drilled, see I6, for the purpose of receiving bolts in the securing of juxtaposed units to one anotheror of securing the one unit to other supporting structure.

The flake vermiculite I2, or other suitable insulating material, is inserted in the recess III-I of the body shell I0 in such quantity as to entirely fill the recess when the cover plate I3 is applied. The cover plate is advantageously formed of the same type of cementitious material as is the body shell I0, but is produced in the form of a fiat plate of such dimension as to fit over the recess IIJ-I and to rest on the free terminal ends of peripheral Walls I 0b and wall portions IIlb-I.` It may be joined to the walls upon which it' rests by means of a suitable waterproof mastic, or, preferably, by mechanical securing means such as screws. The` corners of the plate I3 may be clipped shorter than just the proper flt to provide grooves IRI, see Fig. 3, for the reception of'a small cover plate to be hereinafter described.

In certain instances, the insulating material I2 may be in solid block form and attached to rials; and it is within the scope of the invention Y the inside surface of the cover plate; or, in itself,

may provide the cover plate.

The structural units thus formed may be assembled in juxtaposed position in building construction. The corner pockets I5 and the corner portions of reinforcing framework II then providea most convenient means of securely joining the units to one another. Four contiguous corners of respective units, see Fig. 4, provide a pocket recess I8 traversed by two diagonals formed by the contiguous corner portions of angle-iron legs IIb of the respective structural units. Bolts and nuts, as at I9, may be employed in conjunction with the receiving holes I6 for securely uniting the contiguous angleiron leg portions IIb, and, thus, the contiguous structural units, together.

A small cover plate 20, similar in material and general formation to the cover plate I3, may be employed to cover the pocket recess I8. Such cover plate 2D fits into the grooves I1, disposed at the corners of the structural units, and rests upon the wall portions IIIb-I, thus providing continuity of wall surface. l

It will be obvious that one or more of the units may be joined singly or mutually to other structure in building construction in much the same manner disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5, if found desirable.

The marginal corner indentations formed in the recessed body shell may be congurated as found convenient in the Yparticular instance, the illustrated configuration being merely an example of a preferred type.

The weathertight joint illustrated at 2 I, Fig. 5. and provided by reason of the peripheral grooves 2 Ia formed about the lateral peripheral walls of the body shell IU, is no part of the present invention, and consequently is not described in detail. It is fully disclosed and claimed, in my U. IS. Patent No. 2,117,377, issued May 17, 1938. and entitled Atmospheric protected flexible joint for building units.

While this invention has been illustrated and described with respect to only one specific embodiment thereof, it is to be distinctly understood that many changes may be made without departing from the generic scope of the invention as set forth herein and in the claims that follow.

I claim:

1. A structural unit of slab formation having substantially straight bounding edge faces and angular corners and comprising a slab portion proper, and frame elements defining said angular corners and secured to said slab portion proper, the corners of said slab portion proper being clipped substantially diagonally to form substantially triangular corner recesses between said slab portion proper and said frame elements, said triangular corner recesses opening into a major face of said structural unit and providing means for joining said structural unit to other structure.

2. A structural unit of slab formation having substantially straight bounding edge faces and angular' corners, and comprising a slab portion proper which is composite in natureincluding a recessed shell element, insulating material within the recess of said shell element, and a slab 'cover secured over the opening of said recess.

and a peripheral frame secured about the said slab portion proper along said bounding edge faces of said structural unit and defining saidv said slab portion proper and said frame elements. said triangular corner recesses opening into a maior face of said structural unit and providing means for joining said structural unit to other structure, said structural units being so arranged that their mutually intersecting comers form pocket recesses, and means securing the frame elements of said structural units at said mutually intersecting corners thereof, and within the said 10 pocket recesses.

WILLIAM E. S. STRONG. 

